Kirsten Potte

With great excitement, Seattle Repertory Theatre presents its world premiere production of the new comedy, Ibsen in Chicago. The story from playwright David Grimm (Measure for Pleasure; The Miracle at Naples) follows a group of Scandinavian immigrants working to put on the world premiere of Ghosts, a new play by the revered and controversial Norwegian dramatist of the time, Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen in Chicago was commissioned and developed by Seattle Rep through the organization's 'The Other Season,' program, and will run February 2 - March 4, 2018 (opening night is Wednesday, February 7, 2018) in the Leo K. Theatre. Tickets are on sale now through the Seattle Rep Box Office at 206.443.2222 and online at seattlerep.org.

It's been a crazy year, Dear Readers. Lots of ups, lots of downs, and LOTS of emotions. And I'm not just talking about on stage. But let's not dwell on the bad things that may have happened in the world and focus on some of the amazing things Seattle theater companies gave us this past year, and let me tell you there were quite a few. So many in fact that in some categories I simply had to call out more than the usual Honorable Mentions as some performances just needed to be noted. You'll see what I mean especially when you get to the female categories as the ladies were certainly bringing it this year. But let's get started shall we? Out of the myriad shows I saw this year in Seattle, here are the shows and performances that truly stood out to me.

One of my favorite things in seeing all the shows I do is to stumble upon one that I like to refer to as 'alchemy'. It's that rare instance where all of the elements, the script, actors, director, set, costume, lights, music, etc all come together in just the right way and at just the right times to form pure gold. It may look like science or technical expertise but it's really just magic. One of those shows is ACT's current production of Christopher Hampton's 'Dangerous Liaisons'. If in seeing this show you are not able to have a thrilling night then you're just not paying attention.

In our current political climate where candidates regularly hurl insults at each other on things such as penis size it's hard to remember that politics used to be about the candidate's stand on issues as well. So when did that change? When did we go from building up our own candidate in an ad to tearing down the other candidate with scandal, derision and fear? ACT might have the answer to that with their world premiere play "Daisy" that takes a look into the creation of one of the most infamous political ads and one of the first attack ads ever created.

With a Presidential election looming, a group of advertisers working for Lyndon B. Johnson unleash the most infamous political commercial ever conceived, the "Daisy ad". The ad played once, but it carved a scar into the American psyche. Based on actual persons and events, ACT presents the world premiere of political thriller Daisy by Sean Devine. This explosive play explores the power of manipulation in advertising and the clear moment in television history that launched the age of negative attack ads, and forever changed how we elect our leaders.

A Contemporary Theatre announces the spring shows that will occur during the debut season of Artistic Director John Langs. Highlights include the haunting and hilarious musical Assassins, the sixth co-production with The 5th Avenue Theatre, is now running through May 8. ACT celebrates eight talented writers in the 2016 Young Playwrights Festival Mar 10-12 and the world premiere of Worse Than Tigers opens Mar 24. April brings the heartbreaking, hilarious, sort-of-adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull with Aaron Posner's Stupid f**king Bird.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre and Artistic Director John Langs are thrilled to announce ACT's first Core Company. Each year, a group of actors will join ACT in a year-long creative endeavor, performing and contributing as artistic ambassadors to ACT's Mainstage season. Langs has assembled the talents of Keiko Green, Kirsten Potter, Lorenzo Roberts, Jasmine Jean Sim, G. Valmont Thomas, Connor Toms, and R. Hamilton Wright for 2016.

Arguably one of the greatest American playwrights, Arthur Miller rarely goes in for the flash or quirky with his works but simply tells a story. And those stories, such as 'A View From the Bridge' currently performing at the Seattle Rep, build with a sublime slow burn and sneak up on you until, before you know it, have you in their grip and won't let go. And the cast and crew of this current production truly understand that and deliver some finely layered and complex performances making Miller's work shine all the more.

Seattle Repertory Theatre presents Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge, an American classic, directed by Acting Artistic Director Braden Abraham. The production runs September 25 - October 18, in the Bagley Wright Theatre. Tickets are available now through the Seattle Rep Box Office at 206-443-2222 as well as online at www.seattlerep.org.

There are two main problems with doing a show about therapy, such as ACT's world premiere of "Seven Ways to Get There" currently playing. First, that someone else's therapy on stage can be good for the author but often times deadly for the audience. Luckily Bryan Willis and Dwayne J. Clark's new play avoids that trap. But the larger trap is that therapy doesn't really have a definite ending so you either portray an unrealistic look at the world of therapy or, as is the case here, the play just kind of ends as the people involved with the therapy continue onward working on their issues. And while the show definitely has engaging characters and performances, that lack of closure and finality for the audience doesn't work out so well theatrically.

Even from childhood we've always wanted what the other kid has. You never wanted to play with a toy so much as when someone else is playing with it. Such is the way sometimes with relationships, specifically the ones in "Rapture, Blister, Burn" currently playing at ACT. But even the relationship issues are only a small part of the show as it also takes a witty look at how far feminism has come and how far we still have to go.

Is the grass really greener on the other side? Obie Award winning playwright Gina Gionfriddo's searing new comedy Rapture, Blister, Burn explores the evolving attitudes of women towards career, marriage and family - and the consequence of choice. ACT is proud to present the West Coast premiere of Rapture, Blister, Burn which the The New York Times described as 'an intensely smart, immensely funny new play.' A smash Off-Broadway hit and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and Kennedy Theatre Prize, Gionfriddo's Rapture, Blister, Burn confronts a variety of post feminist topics from the ongoing career vs. family debate, male dominance in business and relationships, feminist implications of torture movies, and even takes on society's acceptance and consumption of pornography. Described by the author as an unintentional homage to Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles, with a title inspired by the band Hole's single, 'Use Once and Destroy', Rapture, Blister, Burn is a wickedly perceptive and surprisingly relevant take on cross-generational feminism.

Is the grass really greener on the other side? Obie Award winning playwright Gina Gionfriddo's searing new comedy Rapture, Blister, Burn explores the evolving attitudes of women towards career, marriage and family - and the consequence of choice. ACT is proud to present the West Coast premiere of Rapture, Blister, Burn which the The New York Times described as 'an intensely smart, immensely funny new play.' A smash Off-Broadway hit and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and Kennedy Theatre Prize, Gionfriddo's Rapture, Blister, Burn confronts a variety of post feminist topics from the ongoing career vs. family debate, male dominance in business and relationships, feminist implications of torture movies, and even takes on society's acceptance and consumption of pornography. Described by the author as an unintentional homage to Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles, with a title inspired by the band Hole's single, 'Use Once and Destroy', Rapture, Blister, Burn is a wickedly perceptive and surprisingly relevant take on cross-generational feminism.